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Audi unleashes a serious rival to the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V

1 of 8The 2013 Audi RS5 packs a V8 and a sticker price just under $70,000.

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2 of 8Audi says the RS5 runs to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds.

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3 of 8The 2013 Audi RS5 gets 20-inch wheels as an option.

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4 of 8The 2013 Audi RS5 is fitted with Quattro all-wheel drive.

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5 of 8The V8 in the 2013 Audi RS5 cranks out 450 hp.

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6 of 8The 2013 Audi RS5 gets a mesh grille.

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7 of 8A side view of the 2013 Audi RS5.

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8 of 8The front end of the 2013 Audi RS5.

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2013 Audi RS5

Although the external design changes made by quattro GmbH (Audi's in-house performance department) to produce the RS5 are subtle, they send an unmistakable message. The addition of a honeycomb grille and a revised bumper with splitter up front; flared fenders, prominent side sills and 19-inch wheels at the sides; and a large rear diffuser and active wing at the car's back end turn the usually pretty A5 into something that might be the R8's tough big brother.

Crouching with its 0.8-inch lower stance on the pit lane at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California, the new RS5 looked mechanically imposing and a little menacing, and the sounds it made when it started up and accelerated away onto the track fully backed up the car's deadly serious specifications.

Audi is not playing around with this model. The RS5 is in direct competition with other companies' performance models in the segment. And as the top performance model in the company's A5 range, it is equipped with a newer version of the R8's V8—incorporating technical upgrades from the R8's V10—boasting 450 hp rather than the 420 hp from the R8.

Perhaps the RS5 needs the extra power, bristling as it does with Audi's comprehensive technical arsenal and weighing in at a burly 4,009 pounds. But that stout motor and variable chassis control almost completely obscure the car's substantial mass.

With its maximum torque available from 4,000 to 6,000 rpm, the car's throttle response is vivid in normal operating conditions. Power builds quickly after that, maximum thrust arriving at 8,250 rpm with a thunderous accompaniment from the high-revving V8.

With its tach redlined at a lofty 8,500 rpm, the V8's maximum piston speed is more than 5,000 feet per minute (or 26 meters per second), which is right up there with F1 engines. And when hooked to Audi's fastest-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch tranny, this new V8 propels the RS5 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds.

It will go on eagerly to reach a governed top speed of 174 mph. While the V8 exhaust cadence tends to understate the rotational speed, it provides a truly heroic soundtrack. And yet this seriously strong car somehow manages to avoid the U.S. gas-guzzler tax.

Equipped with Audi's quattro variable all-wheel-drive system, the RS5 starts off with a 40/60 front-to-rear torque split but can shift power fore and aft as surface conditions dictate, and its rear sport differential provides torque vectoring in corners to help the car turn.

The Drive Select system dishes up various chassis and steering calibrations to broaden the car's bandwidth and, when equipped with the optional MMI telematics interface, will allow individual tuning of throttle response, transmission shift points, steering-assist levels, the sport differential and the exhaust, which has internal flaps to reduce noise.

Wave-profile rotors make their first appearance on an Audi with the RS5, coincidentally at the exact moment the company announces its acquisition of Ducati. Wave-contour rotors are used to reduce mass and are common on motorcycles. Even lighter ceramic brakes are optional.

Other changes to the exterior of the RS5 include oval exhaust outlets flanking the larger rear diffuser. Above that, the active tail spoiler pops up at 75 mph and snaps down again at 50 mph. The car is offered with 19-inch wheels standard, but our test cars were equipped with beautiful 20-inchers, available as an option.

Multiple-personality operation has become de rigueur in high-end sport sedans and coupes, and this car is no exception. We crept through heavy San Francisco traffic and cruised its freeways in luxurious comfort, then circulated the undulating contours of Sonoma Raceway, where the RS5 deploys all its high-performance credentials to good effect.

With its Drive Select system switched to dynamic mode, the car corners with little roll or pitch, yet it turns in well and even rotates when trail braked enthusiastically into corners. A little steady throttle helps stabilize the car through Sonoma Raceway's tricky downhill esses as the rear axle overdrives its outer wheel to generate yaw.

Even with the steel brakes, the car stops pretty well for a two-tonner, and we did not experience any fade. Best of all is the stirring thunder from the exhaust at full power and the brief burps as the injection cuts during gearshifts. It's not hard to feel Audi's motorsport pedigree in the car's responses because the handling balance is a great compromise between stability and responsiveness.

Still, we need to remember that this is a heavy street car and when driven by professional race-car drivers on the track will not allow very late trail braking into corners without becoming unsettled. No one else will have much to complain about.

Naturally, with 450 hp, its straight-line performance is, shall we say, more than strictly necessary for the commuter life it will likely lead. In the real world, the only glitches we noticed were the sometimes magnetic feel of the electromechanical power steering and an occasional abrupt downshift while we were rolling to a halt. And the transmission once declutched during a long uphill stop-and-start sequence, allowing the car to roll backward.

But it's an indulgent ride in every way, and if this car meets your needs on paper, it will very likely fulfill them on the road. At nearly $70,000, it isn't cheap. But it doesn't shortchange the driver in any way. Fast, handsome and capable, the RS5 is rolling confirmation of Audi's rising role in the automotive realm.